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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26161594">Hot Chocolate</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ExhaustedSunflower/pseuds/ExhaustedSunflower'>ExhaustedSunflower</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Six - Marlow/Moss</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Implied/Referenced Abuse</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 13:21:19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,020</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26161594</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ExhaustedSunflower/pseuds/ExhaustedSunflower</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Kitty and Cathy go down memory lane over some hot chocolate. Their stories a bit too similar.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Katherine Howard &amp; Catherine Parr</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>61</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Hot Chocolate</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hey!!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>She can’t sleep. Kitty has been sitting in her bed staring at the wall for an hour now. Nothing she can do will get her to sleep. She’s tried breathing exercises, she’s tried staying completely still, she’s even tried counting backwards from one hundred. One thing is clear, Kitty is not sleeping tonight.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She stands from bed, making her way into the hall. The nightlight in the hall softly illuminates her path to the stairs. Kitty takes a moment to smile at it, grateful for something nice during her restless night.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As she makes her way down the stairs she hears movement. It sounds like it’s coming from the kitchen. This begs the question, </span>
  <em>
    <span>who else is up tonight?</span>
  </em>
  <span> Taking a breath, she walks into the kitchen. She’s met with Cathy standing at the coffee pot.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t think you should be drinking coffee at this time.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Cathy jumps, spinning around to see the person who scared her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh my god! Kitty!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kitty laughs, apologizing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why are you even awake?” Cathy asks.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why are you?” Kitty counters.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Cathy nods, as if to just give in to the point. There’s no good reason for either of them to be up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You really shouldn’t, though.” Kitty gestures to the coffee pot next to Cathy. Cathy sighs.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Fine, how’s hot chocolate sound then?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Great. Hot chocolate sounds wonderful right now. Kitty takes a seat at the kitchen table. Cathy turns to get started on their drinks.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It’s no secret that each queen has a comfort hot drink. Anne likes tea, Anna likes anything sweet, Catalina drinks tea, Jane alternates, so long as it’s hot. Kitty always goes for hot chocolate, Cathy does too.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Last time they did this, Kitty had had a nightmare. Cathy was awake at the time and ended up comforting her. The constant is the hot chocolate.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Last time they were also talking about what happened to Kitty in her marriage with Henry. It wasn’t Kitty’s idea of a good time, to put it lightly. Cathy had mentioned some things she related to, but it mainly centered around Kitty.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Feeling curious, Kitty decides to be a bit brave.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Did he ever hurt you?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Cathy freezes, her hand that was going for the hot chocolate mix stops and hovers mid air.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kitty immediately feels a lot less brave than she did a second ago. This was a terrible idea, she should have stayed in bed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nevermind, sorry. That was too personal.” She backtracks, staring pointedly down at her hands folded on the table.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Cathy seems to remember how to move again when she senses the tremble in Kitty’s voice.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, you’re fine. I just wasn’t expecting it, is all.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The girl looks back up at the reassurance. But Cathy isn’t facing her, she’s focused on making the hot chocolate.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You sure?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, kid. Ask away.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She likes it when Cathy calls her kid. It’s different than when other people do it. It’s not condescending, and it doesn’t feel like she’s looking down at Kitty for her age. It feels a lot like a term of endearment, like </span>
  <em>
    <span>love</span>
  </em>
  <span> and </span>
  <em>
    <span>dear</span>
  </em>
  <span>, or even </span>
  <em>
    <span>mija</span>
  </em>
  <span>, which Catalina calls Cathy and Kitty especially.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Now that Kitty’s more aware than she was before, she’s able to think straight. And the more she thinks about it, the more she remembers that Cathy had as much experience with men as she did in their first lives. The same kinds of men, too. She has a different question now, though she’s not sure how to phrase it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What were your husbands like?” Is what she decides on.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Cathy turns to her, handing her a cup. Then she sits down across from Kitty with her own. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“All of them?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kitty nods.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay then. The first was Edward. I was seventeen, sound familiar?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kitty nods again. “How old was he?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, only his twenties. A decent man, it was a shame he was in such poor health.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Did you love him?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Cathy doesn’t answer for a moment, seemingly lost in her memories. Then she looks back at Kitty and shakes her head ever so slightly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You know what? I don’t think I did.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kitty contemplates the answer for a bit. When she speaks up again, she looks back at her hands.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t think I really loved Mannox.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She feels a hand on hers, and looks up to see Cathy with her arm stretched to meet hers.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s okay, kid. Hindsight is twenty-twenty, right?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She smiles sadly before continuing the conversation.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How about the next one? Did you love him?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The woman’s eyes actually brighten a little as she remembers her second husband. Perhaps this one was different.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He was good to me. He lost two wives before me, and when he died he left me his two children.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Children?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Cathy nods with her telltale fond smile. She loved those kids.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, John and Margaret. John was named after his father.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What was his father like?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“John was a very loyal husband. At least at first.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Only at first?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Cathy takes a sip from her drink. Her bright eyes and fond smile are disappearing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He was a good man.” She sounds like she’s trying to convince herself of this fact.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He was twice my age, and worked too close for comfort with Catholic Rebels. The latter would have been fine if it didn’t nearly cost me my life.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Your </span>
  <em>
    <span>life</span>
  </em>
  <span>?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, I only wish he’d just have stayed home. That his family could have been enough for him. Then none of that unfortunate business would have happened.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kitty wants to know exactly what this unfortunate business is. She’s certain Cathy’s never mentioned nearly dying in her marriages before Henry. She knows Henry threatened to behead Cathy, he’d threatened to behead everyone. (</span>
  <em>
    <span>What a dick.</span>
  </em>
  <span>) But she’s never heard Cathy say anything like this.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What happened?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Cathy breaks eye contact, eyes falling to the rim of her mug.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t really like to get into detail about that one, if it’s alright.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay. That’s okay, sorry.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can say that we were held hostage for a while. It was due to religion.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh. Oh no.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s awful.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It really was.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kitty tries to bring the mood back up, “So, did you love him?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Cathy thinks about it for a long moment, still not making eye contact.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, I didn’t.” She whispers.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They sit in silence as they both try to catch up with their thoughts. Kitty hadn’t meant to send the woman down memory lane tonight. She can only hope that Cathy forgives her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“While we’re on the topic of second major loveless relationships, I didn’t love Francis, either.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Francis was a dick, right?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Cathy looks back up, it’s an attempt at making the conversation more bearable. Kitty appreciates it more than Cathy knows.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, absolutely. He was the worst.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They share a laugh. Kitty finishes off her hot chocolate, and Cathy stands to make more for them both.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We all know that none of us actually loved Henry.” Kitty says, moving the story along.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Except Catalina in the first, like, two years. But that can be attributed to being alone for years before then.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Right, how could Kitty forget? It’s the weirdest thing, to hear about an actually charming version of Henry.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kitty thinks about her original question, about how much more comfortable they’ve gotten throughout the conversation. Then she tries again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Did he ever hurt you?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Cathy doesn’t react the same way she had before. It’s almost like she was expecting it. Maybe she was, Cathy is very clever.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Instead she keeps her hands moving as she makes their drinks, and answers honestly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He did.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It’s not a shock, Henry had hurt Kitty. Why wouldn’t he extend that treatment over to his next wife? Still though, it feels like a punch in the gut.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How?” Her voice is suddenly smaller. She’s not sure she should be asking this. Not sure what either if their reactions to this information will be.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Cathy turns around with their drinks once more, handing one to Kitty and sitting with one herself.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you sure you wanna hear about that, kid?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She’s not sure, but it’s now or never. Kitty doubts they’ll ever have this conversation again, so she nods.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How did he hurt you?” Cathy counters.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kitty has to think about it. Not that she doesn’t have any examples. No, she has plenty of examples. She just doesn’t know how to answer a question like that. How do you form that kind of sentence? </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Eventually, though, she comes up with something.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He hit me a lot. When I was being too stupid for his friends. Or when he was frustrated with other stuff.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Cathy agrees, “Yeah, same, actually.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Really?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She can’t imagine anyone thinking Cathy is stupid. She’s one of the smartest people Kitty’s ever met.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, really. He really was an asshole, wasn't he?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kitty agrees wholeheartedly, “I can’t believe he got six women to marry him. I can’t believe that man had so many affairs. He was terrible!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, we said ‘yes’. We said ‘I do’.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“A terrible decision, really.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Literally couldn’t have been worse.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They laugh a bit at their own expense. It’s painful to think about, they’re glad they can laugh about it. Even if it’s not actually funny.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He hurt me in… other ways, too.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Cathy stares back at her. She takes a moment to gather her thoughts before responding.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I-, me too.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Again, not shocking. But it still stings to know that Cathy had to go through that. Kitty wouldn’t wish that upon her worst enemy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But that was expected of a wife. So I suppose I was used to that by that point.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>In trying to make it better, Cathy makes it worse.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do you mean that your other husbands did that to you too?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, yes, but-“</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kitty reaches across the table and takes Cathy’s hands in her own. There isn’t much else she can do, but she’s here.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Cathy looks down at their hands, “Thank you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kitty gives her a minute before continuing. That was quite the revelation for Kitty, maybe even for Cathy. It has to be hard to discuss. Actually, Kitty knows for a fact that it’s hard to even think about.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When she finally pulls away, Cathy takes another long drink from her hot chocolate. The silence isn’t stifling, it’s just a little sad.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Any more questions?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kitty thinks for a moment, then, “Did you love Thomas?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think I really wanted to.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That makes sense. Kitty wanted to love her Thomas, too. It’d gotten her killed in the long run. And Kitty doesn’t think she actually did love him anyway.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He was charming at first, but he tricked me. When we actually got married I saw what he really was like.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What was he like?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He was-,” Cathy pauses, like she needs to make sure she says this exactly right. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He was quite mean spirited. And entitled, he thought he deserved the world. And I accidentally gave it to him, being the dowager queen.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Did he ever hurt you?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Plenty. Mentally, physically, he wanted to own everything. Including me. That actually sounds a lot like my marriage with Henry too, come to think of it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry you had to deal with that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Cathy shrugs, “It’s in the past. You know how it was.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She does indeed. And now it’s her turn.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I wanted to love Culpeper. I thought if I loved him he’d be different.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The woman across the table from her brings her cup up, then stops to speak.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“They are </span>
  <em>
    <span>never</span>
  </em>
  <span> different.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She takes a sip of her drink with an air of finality. Kitty nods as she brings her cup up into the space between them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“To it never being different.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Cathy laughs, then adds to the toast.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“To this life being different.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That’s cute, a toast to their family. They’ve got each other’s backs. Neither of them will ever get hurt that way with the other around. They won’t let it happen again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They clink their mugs, and down the rest.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Did you see the nightlight reference? Did you see the reference to Catalina’s relationship with them both? They’re cute.</p><p>Anyways, hope you guys liked this one!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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